Every semester, we’re issued a new, hard plastic parking pass. The old, expired pass is added to our “scrap-booking box” because, well, we feel awkward about just pitching it in the trash.
Anyway, we were cleaning house one day, and one of us found something that just really struck a chord (corny pun alert): our favorite guitar pick. Most guitarists have a particular pick weight and size that feels right to them — the Fender Medium is ours. Coincidently, our expired parking passes were about the same weight and feel. You can see where this is going.
We grabbed a pen and using our Fender as a template, we drew a series of picks onto the back of a parking pass. We cut them out, carefully tracing the outline, and presto! One parking pass yielded 10 picks.
To smooth out and bevel the rough edges, we used a common fingernail file. To get the edges completely smooth, we finished with a nail buffer. Homemade picks! They’re perfect. They’re just like our trusty Fender, except a lot more colorful.
So, we began to think about all the other things that could be made with expired parking passes — or come to think of it, with expired credit, rewards, or gift cards. At any rate, guitar picks were a great start. In fact, that alone could be our million dollar idea, right? Right!? Ok, maybe not.
We hopped online to see if anyone else had thought of it. And, guess what. Of course they had. Not only h
ad someone thought of it, but they had already one-upped us and manufactured a pick-shaped hole punch. Rats! Oh, well. “There’s nothing new under the sun,” as they say. Regardless, there’s no shame in saving an otherwise non-degradable item from the landfill.
We hope we have inspired you to keep on dreaming and creating new uses for old things. You likely won’t be the first to have thought of it, no matter how original it seems, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that with a little imagination, time, and effort, you can produce a handmade item that will provide you with many years of enjoyment.
In Kindness, ~JnK
